Planets

Gr 3–5—Unexceptional in informational content but handsomely laid out and well endowed with special features, this introduction to the solar system and space exploration merits a spot in deeper, high-demand collections. It features single topic spreads on which sharply reproduced astronomy photos and images mingle with (usually) white on black captions, facts, cross references, and two or three sentence blocks of text. Spreads on the Moon landings, the Galileo probe, the Milky Way and extrasolar planets, observatories, and several other related topics, plus a short interview with an astronaut, expand the customary planet-by-planet tour—as does a downloadable ebook supplement (for Mac or PC) with video clips and quizzes that takes detailed looks at six significant probes and spacecraft. Oddly phrased claims include, "[i]t takes one day for Earth to rotate on itself," and that a solar flare "cut off the telegraph wires 150 years ago." An assertion that the dwarf planets are all farther away from the Sun than the primary ones is incorrect, an implication that Mercury's entire surface is a uniform temperature is misleading, and the space exploration time line stops at 2001. Furthermore, aside from an oblique nod in the astronaut interview, the end of the space shuttle program goes unmentioned. Consider as an appealing, if supplementary, choice.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City